1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in a connector for a printed circuit board that is used to connect, for example, two printed circuit boards or a printed circuit board and an SIM card, etc.
2. Related Art
Up to the present, for example, a connector shown in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B has been known as a connector of this kind. It comprises a board-shaped housing 51 with receiving holes 52 and connecting terminals 53 arranged in these receiving holes 52 (for example, refer to Japanese Provisional Patent Hei 8-321353). Each connecting terminal 53 has an intermediate part 53a that is fixed to the housing near the edge of the receiving hole. The internal end of the connecting terminal 53 is bent into the shape of an inverted V to form a contacting part 53b. The external end of the terminal 53 extends out of the housing 51 to form a lead 53c. This connector is surface-mounted on a printed circuit board 54 by the above-mentioned leads 53c. The above-mentioned contacting parts 53b undergo elastic deformation in the direction of thickness of the housing (the vertical direction in FIG. 10B) to be pressed against and contact contacting parts of a counterpart such as a printed circuit board and an SIM card. In this way, the connector establishes mechanical connection and electric connection between two printed circuit boards (hereinafter referred to as board to board connection) or between a printed circuit board and an SIM card or the like (hereinafter referred to as board to card connection). In the present specification, an SIM card or the like includes SIM card, PC card and IC card.
In such a connector, a pressing contact force given by a counterpart 55 such as a printed circuit board or an SIM card or the like is transmitted via the connecting terminal 53 to concentratedly work on a fixed part or a contact pact of the lead 53c and the housing 51 on the printed circuit board 54. However, when leads 53c are made smaller and thinner, concentrated stresses caused by the above-mentioned pressing contact forces tend to cause troubles, for example, cracks generated in a fixed part of a lead 53c on the printed circuit board 54 and resulting failure of connection. Moreover, as the housing 51 must have a sufficient strength, it is not easy to make the housing 51 smaller or thinner. This, in turn, hinders efforts of reducing the size of appliances that use a connector of this kind to make board to board connection or board to card connection.